Muslim states' Jews pray for IDF

Jews in Iran, Syria and Lebanon signed up for a world-wide prayer rally.

By MATTHEW WAGNER
iran jews pray (photo credit: )
iran jews pray
(photo credit: )
Jews living precariously in the world's most violently anti-Israel states in the Middle East have apparently signed their names and countries of origin on an Internet site that is coordinating a world-wide prayer rally slated for Tuesday for IDF soldiers. Twenty-eight from Iran, 12 from Syria, and five from both Lebanon and Iraq have signed up so far, according to Eran Gefen, CEO of Y&R Interactive, a PR firm that established the site with the aid of Chief Ashkenazi Rabbi Yona Metzger. Others involved with the effort include the Jewish Agency, the Foreign Ministry and numerous media, including The Jerusalem Post. Gefen admitted that he could not know for sure whether those who signed up were actually Jews. "We can't check their family tree, but they are joining the prayer for the IDF," he said. He added that he would keep the names of these signatories secret to protect their safety. "Iranian Jews normally do not have access to Israeli Internet content," said Gefen. "But it seems that some managed to bypass the block and it is very exciting to hear their virtual voices." Anti-Israel hackers from Saudi Arabia and other countries have launched an aggressive attack on the site, Gefen said. But, despite numerous delays, Israeli technicians have managed to keep the site up and running. "Hackers create thousands of artificial hits a second, which puts tremendous strain on the servers." Gefen added that there were thousands of hits from Arab countries, most of them anonymous. At 7 p.m. on Tuesday, Jews from all over the world will simultaneously say a prayer for IDF soldiers fighting against Hizbullah and for kidnapped soldiers. So far more than 50,000 Jews from 170 different countries have registered as participants in the prayer session. Registration is at www.tfila.org.il. The names of those who registered, written in tiny print, will be placed in the Kotel by Metzger.